Advanced Summer Course ‘Byzantine Epigraphy in Situ’
Centre of Excellence ‘Heritage BG’
Nessebăr, Bulgaria, 12-15 September 2023
Organised and convened by Emmanuel Moutafov, Ida Toth and Andreas Rhoby
Overview
The Advanced Summer Course ‘Byzantine Epigraphy in situ’ offers a training programme to doctoral and early-career scholars, who wish to gain experience in using epigraphic material for research. The aim of the course is to advance the knowledge of medieval and early modern Greek inscriptional culture and its contributions to the overall heritage of Byzantium and the Balkans. The course will provide a unique opportunity to read, examine, and interpret inscriptions in situ, that is, in their architectural, iconographic, liturgical, art-historical, social and cultural contexts.
Structure and content
The Advanced Summer Course ‘Byzantine Epigraphy in situ’ will take place between the 12th and 15th of September 2023 in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Nessebăr (Mesembria), Bulgaria. It will consist of daily lectures, seminar presentations, discussions, and of practical sessions in museums, churches, and excavation sites. It will include two field trips, to Sozopol and the late antique Byala Fortress. Within Nessebăr, participants will explore inscriptional material from St John Aleitourgetos, Christ Pantokrator, St Sophia (Old Metropolis), St John the Baptist, Thermae, St Stephen (New Metropolis), Ascension (St Spas) and Sts Theodoroi. In Sozopol (ancient Apolonia), participants will study epigraphic finds from the Archeological Museum and the 15th-century church of the Virgin Mary.
Who are we?
The Advanced Summer Course ‘Byzantine Epigraphy in situ’ is organised in the framework of the International Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Training Programme with the aim of promoting and propelling epigraphic scholarship internationally. It is funded by the Centre of Excellence ‘Heritage BG’ of the EU Operational Programme ‘Science and Education for Smart Growth’ 2014-2020 and the Programme ‘Education’ 2021 – 2027. The course is organized under the aegis of the Commission Inscriptiones Greacae Aevi Byzantini of the Association Internationale des Études Byzantines. It is led by Emmanuel Moutafov (The Institute of Art Studies, The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences), Andreas Rhoby (Institute for Medieval Research, The Division of Byzantine Research, The Austrian Academy of Science) and Ida Toth (The Inter-Faculty for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Oxford University). It will feature guest lectures and master classes by Antonio Enrico Felle (University of Bari Aldo Moro), Georgios Pallis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), and others.
Funding
The Course is partly funded. Successful applicants will have their course fees and accommodation covered by the Programme.
Who can apply and how?
We invite applications from advanced doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers (who have completed their doctoral studies within the past 5 years) in the fields of (Greek) philology, archaeology, history, art history and museum studies. Applicants are expected to be fluent in English. They must possess good knowledge of Greek, including Medieval Greek, and familiarity with Greek Epigraphy. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their academic and/or professional engagement with the broader field of Byzantine Studies.
Applications should include:
1) An up-to-date CV;
2) A personal statement of up to 500 words outlining an interest in Byzantine epigraphy and motivation for attending the summer course;
3) One reference letter by a senior faculty member with immediate knowledge of the applicant’s linguistic skills and university qualifications. The letter should include comments on the applicant’s proficiency in Greek and on their overall academic potential.
What to do and by when?
Prospective applicants should send their queries and applications to BEinSitu@nasledstvo.bg by 31 March 2023.
Successful applicants will be notified of their acceptance by 28 April 2023. Please, note that participants in the Advanced Summer Course ‘Byzantine Epigraphy in situ’ will be expected to attend all lectures, field trips, group discussions, museum classes, and any other course meetings and events.
The full programme will be announced in May 2023.